Fresh Cider Braised Chicken Food

CIDER-BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH APPLES AND GREENS

Steps:

• Pat the chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
• In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium. Cook the chicken thighs skin-side down, undisturbed, until the skin is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook until lightly browned on the other side, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of fat from the pot, turn the heat to medium-low, then add the shallots and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Be careful not to let the garlic burn.
• Add the cider, cider vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the cider has reduced slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot, skin-side up. Pour just enough broth around (not on!) the chicken to cover the sides of the thighs but not cover the skin on top.
• Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Partly cover and gently simmer until the thighs are cooked through and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate or sheet pan (if you'd like to broil the chicken in the next step), raise the heat to medium, and add the kale and apple to the pot. Cook, tossing often, until all the kale is wilted, the apples are just softened and the liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. While the greens cook, if you'd like to crisp the skin on the chicken, pop it under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Taste for seasoning, and stir in 1 or 2 more teaspoons cider vinegar to taste. Divide the chicken and kale mixture among shallow bowls; serve with crusty bread to mop up broth.

CIDER BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
• Add the onion to the skillet and saute for 1 minute. Add the cider and chicken stock, and cook over high heat until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the chicken to the pan, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove the chicken breasts from the pan, and place on a warmed serving platter. Raise the heat to high and reduce the cider sauce until 1/4 c remains. Stir in the mustard and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken and garnish with parsley.

CIDER-BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Dust the chicken with the flour.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet and sear the chicken pieces for a few minutes on each side until they are golden brown.
• Transfer the chicken to a medium-sized pot and deglaze the skillet with half of the cider (1 cup). Let it simmer for a minute then add it to the chicken with the rest of the cider, leek, tomato sauce and bay leaf.
• Simmer on low heat, partially covered, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. (I did not cook this long - more like 40 minutes, perhaps my heat was not as low).
• Add the cream, cook to heat through, and throw on some chopped parsley or chives.

CIDER-BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with 2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper and 1 teaspoon salt.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown chicken, skin side down first, turning once, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate, discarding oil.
• Wipe out skillet, then boil remaining ingredients until reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet and braise, covered, turning once, until chicken is just cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter. Boil sauce to thicken if necessary. Whisk sauce if separated and season with salt, then pour over chicken.